The opinions expressed in these essays do not necessarily reflect the position of ARAUNY. A few select ARAUNY members have been chosen to write on our blog.
by Linda Brink
Bryan Graczyk recently posted these extraordinarily interesting quotes on AR-Global:
Navajo warning: “If you kill off the prairie dogs there will be no one to cry for rain.”
Hopi Elder: “Water under the ground has much to do with rain clouds. If you take the water from under the ground, the land will dry up.”
by Tinako
I’m taking a Social Psychology course via Coursera.com. As with everything I read, hear, or watch, I can’t help but also consider the material in terms of animal rights. This week we’re learning about situations which often cause normal people to behave pathologically, that is, badly. Sometimes very badly….
By John Carbonaro
We gain physical and emotional pleasure from our attachment-intake. We gain cerebral comfort and pleasure from our singular pet-relationship focus.
They supply a sense of balance and connection between us and the world of other animals. We can then tell ourselves that we ‘love animals’ in a global, diffused way despite our different treatment of them. They fill the cognitive-emotion gap between us and our ‘other’ treatment of animals.
by JanineS
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website, the USFWS “was created in large part because of the efforts of hunters and their concern for our wildlife resources. Since the late 19th century, hunters and anglers have been the driving force behind much of the conservation that has taken place in this century, and we as a service remain committed to preserving these great outdoor traditions.”
by George Payne, founder of Gandhi Earth Keepers International
The less humans know about animals the better off animals will be. From the earliest ages children should be taught to simply leave animals alone. If they are curious about them that is wonderful. This curiosity is natural and appropriate. But there is no reason why this state of wonderment must develop into knowledge and understanding…
by Linda Brink
Recently, a long-time friendship of mine came to an end, allegedly over the issue of a black leather jacket, but actually over the remarkable human capacity for steadfast denial.
by Tinako, artist
My single favorite effect of veganism is the universal compassion it has unleashed in me. I think that as long as I was using animals at all, I needed to tell myself stories about them. I feel as though I’ve now been freed from a cynicism about animals that was necessary for me to be able to eat them, a justifying or excusing for eating them that I didn’t know was there, and which was untrue and unfair. I’d like to explain how I believe this impacts my art…
by John Carbonaro
Questions frequently arise, particularly with new vegans, as they transition to a new way of being. The animals, either whole or in product form that were once part of the “fabric” of our lives are now viewed differently. The continued separation of our minds and behaviors from the thick layers of experiences, upbringing, and societal conventions requires the kind of mindfulness that cares for the ego while showing its defensive maneuvers to the door…
by Tinako
“If your mind is torn by two conflicting desires, the contradiction will destroy your mind’s unity and tranquility. Just remember, when you should grab something, grab it. When you should let it go, let it go.” – Zen Speaks
by JanineS
Rabbi Gellman’s syndicated column appears in the Saturday edition of the Buffalo News. In the March 20th column a question was posed:
“I think it’s time to encourage Christians and Jews to be vegetarians. The Fifth Commandment says, “Thou shalt not kill.” If God meant only people, He would have said so. What part of “Not Kill” don’t people understand?” – C. Cyberspace (Buffalo News)
